Island



(No Model.)

15. D; FORD. 'BARBED WIRE FENCE.

No. 311,740. Patented Feb. 3, 1885.

of which the following is a specification.

Ilnrrnn drains Parent @rrrca FRANKLIN D. FORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND, ASSIGNOE OF ONE HALF TO CORNELIUS S. SVVEETLAND, OF SAME PLACE.

BIARBED-IWIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,740, dated February3, 1885.

' Application filed May 19, 1884. (No model.)

To (all w/rom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN D. Foen, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, Ithode Island, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Barbed-\Vire Fences,

The object of thepresent invention is to provide barbed fence-wireswhich have wire barbs applied thereto in such a manner that they cannotslide or turn thereon when subjected to pressure during use.

The invention consists in a wire barb made of a piece or shortlength ofwire that is looped around an offset in a single or double strandfence-wire twisted spirally together, so as to form a body portion thatlies beneath or along side the fence-wire, and then wrapped around thefence-wire, so as to form oppositely-projecting prongs or points. Bygrouping; together several barbs made in this manner and causing theirpoints to lie together a radial se ries of prongs may be disposed aroundthe fence-wire.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a single-strand fence-wirehaving my improved barb applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation showingadouble-strand fence-wire with my improved barb applied thereto. Fig. 3is an elevation representing the grouping together of several barbs on adoublestrand wire, so as to form four projecting barbs at the same pointof the wire.

The numeral 1 designates a fencewire in which are formed offsets orbends 2, that serve as shoulders for receiving and retaining wire barbs3. These barbs are formed by looping a single piece of wire around theoffset of the fence-wire and twisting the two branches of said barb-wiretogether in a spiral manner, as is clearly indicated by the numeral 4.The parts of the wire projecting beyond this twisted portion are carriedup on opposite sides of the fencewire, and are wrapped around the sameand carried in an outward direction therefrom or. at right anglesthereto, so as to form prongs or barbs 5.

Referring to the dotted linesin Fig. 1, it will be seen that the barbwire after having been looped or passed around the fence-wire has thetwo branches or members thus formed closely twisted together, so as tofirmly retain the barb on the offset of the fencewire. The untwistedends of the barb -wire are then wrapped around the fence-wire. and theprongs made to project at right angles to the 5 5 latter.

A barb made in the above-described manner cannot be displaced or movedin any direction whatever, and thus it may be stated that it forms apermanent appendage of the fence-wire.

In Fig. 2 the same construction as in Fig.

1 is shown, except that the barb is applied to a double-twisted-strandfence-wire.

\Vhen it is desirable to concentrate four or a number of barbs at thesame point of the fence-wire, I extend two barbs from offsets of thefence-wire and bring their ends together, so that they can be wrappedaround the fencewire at or about the same point, the termi- 7o nals orprongs being made to project in different directions from thefence-wire, so as to form a radial series of such'prongs.

I am aware that a four-pronged barb has heretofore been formed of twopieces of wire which are twistedtogether at their centers, and securedat their ends by turning the same around shoulders formed on thefence-wire.

I. am also aware of the existence of a barbed fence-wire consisting of awire strand having bends, and combined with a double-pointed bent barbwhich is made of a piece of wire that is bent in the middle and hookedor looped over the bends in the fence'wire, so as to form two pointswhich extend at right angles to the fence-wire at the same end of thebarb. Such construction forms no part of my invention, since the latterinvolves the use of a barb which is made of a single piece of wire thathas its middle portion looped 0 around an offset in the i'encewire,after which it is twisted together and wrapped around the fence-wire toform the projecting barbs.

NVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with a fence-wire provided with bends or offsets, of abarb consist ing of a single piece of wire looped at its middle aroundone of said offsets, twisted to In testimony whereof mysignatureinget-her spirally underneath or alongside the presence of two Witnesses.v fence-w1re, and having its end portlons bent FRANKLIN FORD or coiledaround the fence-wire on the out- 5 sideot' and next to another offset,so as to i \Vitnesses:

form projecting points or prongs,substantial1y I GEO. W. LANPHEAR, asdescribed. EDWARD H. BRIGGS.

